A very well known actor once took me through his canon of work on IMDb (International Movie Database, where most movies are listed). As we went down his list, he pointed out the ones that were worth watching and the “less important” ones, ie the ones that were no good. So, even successful actors have films and projects etc that don’t work.
For whatever reason (maybe they were bad in their role, maybe some of the other actors were bad, some were miscast, the director was rubbish, the script was bad, the studio made changes that left the movie worse off, not better)… the project didn’t turn out well.
There are well-known Hollywood flops, with BIG stars in them, plus talented crew and a credible director – that just didn’t work. Think of Catwoman (2004, Halle Berry – she won a Razzie, and had the grace to accept it in person), Pluto Nash (2002, Eddie Murphy – it made back only $7m of the $100m it cost to make it), and Battlefield Earth (2000, lost $73m and almost killed John Travolta’s career). So my point is, even the best of us have projects that didn’t work.
Maybe it was our fault, maybe it wasn’t, maybe it was a combination of a lot of things, bad timing, events outside our control, whatever.
And we have to bounce back, move on, make the best of it, and possibly even promote the dud as if our lives depended on it – because promotional work is in the contract!
As I teach people in my Media Training Courses, there are always things you can say – maybe there was a great atmosphere on set, maybe you had fun making the film, maybe you went to some beautiful locations, the local people welcomed you with open arms, you achieved a lot on a tight budget, the catering was great, the on-set barista made everyone delicious coffees, everyone had a good attitude, everyone went ‘above and beyond’.
This goes for any kind of work, of course. Maybe you are making widgets, cleaning toilets or painting the Forth Bridge. There are always positives, if you don’t want to be seen as the grumbler, the complainer, the negative one (although, of course – if you were exploited, or had to put up with abuse, don’t feel you have to stay silent).
Whenever I hear Hollywood actors on the red carpet talking about how much fun they had on set (and maybe they did, I’m not complaining or disputing it), I suspect the actual film hasn’t turned out well. Or am I a terrible cynic?
My point is:
…and this is my point. There are usually positive things you can say, even if you know a project hasn’t worked out well. Save the unvarnished truth for your friends, family and trusted colleagues, when the cameras and microphones have gone away.
